Breathing technology helps athletes train smarter, compete harder

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At the height of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Marshawn Lynch, a.k.a. Beast Mode, was often seen wearing a device known as The Training Mask as part of his pregame ritual. While this decision inevitably brought about a rush of Batman-related memes, it also advanced the national discussion about the advantages of high-altitude training as it relates to athletic performance.

Patrick McKeown, the brains behind The Oxygen Advantage, admits he likes The Training Mask because it conditions the body to cope with the feeling of breathlessness. However, he is quick to point out it does not simulate high altitude training.

His proprietary methodology is the only in the world that helps athletes reach peak oxygenation levels safely, effectively, and in the shortest amount of time while simulating high altitude training at sea level. With the help of an inexpensive pulse oximeter, Patrick says he can help “any athlete to drop oxygen saturation within one week” and see “substantial improvement in terms of dysfunctional breathing within two-three weeks.” Additional benefits of the program include reduced effects of exercise-induced asthma and pre-match anxiety.

McKeown, who is the direct of Buteyko Clinic International, has spent years perfecting an evaluation and training system that has helped thousands of athletes improve body oxygenation and, in turn, athletic performance. Now he is joining forces with an expert team of doctors, physicians and sports professionals that hopes to bring High Performance Breathing Technology to the masses.

An integral part of this team is the founder of High Performance Breathing Technology, Dr. Martin Denbar, an expert in airway management and dental sleep medicine. He sets the foundation for athletes with personalized consultations designed to help them understand how to optimize something that we all take for granted each day—breathing.

Denbar wants athletes to attack his training exercises with the same intensity as they do in the weight room or on the field. His program views the mouth as another muscle group that athletes need to train in order to perform at the highest level.

By practicing 10 to 20 minutes per day, Denbar suggests that “one, you will reprogram the brain to make a muscle movement habit, and two you are giving those muscles the strength to do so with ease.” Once this foundation is set, athletes are progressing to the Oxygen Advantage program designed to minimize oxygen saturation and maximize athletic output.

Using a proprietary, two-phase system of evaluation and development, the team at High PBT has successfully helped elite professional athletes find an additional edge on the competition. The next step? Creating a network of professionals that can consult athletes locally around the world and bring High PBT to market.

General manager Mark Andrew Zwartynski has the team poised to do just that in the very near future.

“We are going to roll out an app that will be able to integrate with Apple Watch, Fitbit, and other wearable technology.” He added, “we are designing this with the full intent of being able to immediately adapt to any upgrade in technology.”

The content of this app will be just as critical for High PBT as the distribution. In addition to tracking workouts and participating in coaching sessions, Zwartynski points to a particular functionality that really differentiates them in the market.

“We will be able to give you an oxygenation read of your red blood cells in real-time that will allow you to see how you are performing in terms of lactic acid build up while working out.” Since High PBT is non-invasive, their system is safer, more efficient and more affordable than blood tests that can deliver the same results.

Imagine the ramifications of this metric for the top athletes in the world. They will be able to make adjustments to their training on a daily basis that will set them up for maximum efficiency during competition. Take sprinters, for example. They train for multiple hours per day all to compete at an event that lasts a few seconds. Oxygenation, breathing, and timing all come into play and even a small decline in performance could cost any athlete a spot on the podium. Armed with a better sense of how their body is performing will help them train smarter and compete harder.

With a comprehensive mobile app in development and a growing network of qualified doctors around the globe, High PBT will be able to help more and more athletes—Olympians and amateurs alike—increase alertness, mental acuity and overall athletic output from anywhere in the world.

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